Jonte Richardson: Bafta fallout spotlights need for Tourette understanding after slur during awards

The following report synthesises details from the provided coverage; jonte richardson is not mentioned in the material available for this article. The ceremony that honoured the film I Swear has become dominated by debate after an involuntary outburst by John Davidson, the film's real-life subject, prompted apologies from senior executives and a formal review.

What happened on the night and why it matters

John Davidson, the Tourette syndrome campaigner whose life is the subject of I Swear, shouted involuntary verbal tics during the awards ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall in London. Some of those outbursts included strong language and a racial slur that was audible during the recorded broadcast. The outbursts were heard while presenters were on stage and during acceptance moments for other winners.

Organisers, executives and on-stage responses

Host Alan Cumming asked the audience for understanding and described the strong language that could be heard as one way Tourette can present for some people. Cumming later emphasised that Tourette syndrome is a disability and that tics are involuntary, and offered an apology to anyone who was offended. The floor manager had introduced John Davidson to the audience earlier, identifying him as the subject of a nominated film and saying there might be involuntary noises or movements during the ceremony.

Broadcaster apology, edits and review under way

Kate Phillips, the chief content officer at the broadcaster, apologised to staff for the failure to remove the racial slur from the recorded broadcast and said she was very sorry that the word was not edited out. She said another racial slur had been removed from the coverage. When it was noted to be audible on the broadcaster's streaming service she asked for it to be taken down. The original recorded broadcast was removed from the broadcaster's website around midday the following day, and a comprehensive review of the awards organisation's handling of the incident was announced in a letter to members.

Who was involved on stage and in the film

• Lauren Evans, a Camarthenshire-born casting director, won a BAFTA for best casting for her work on I Swear. She said she was in complete shock at winning and that the evening felt overshadowed by the discussion over the slur. Evans described the casting process for I Swear as unique and noted she had worked on worldwide hits such as Sex Education and Paddington 2. She said casting the film required assessing people beyond acting skills and weighing commitment, work ethic and tenacity, especially given the film's low budget and the practical challenges that imposes.
• The lead role in I Swear went to Yorkshire actor Robert Aramayo, who won the Best Actor BAFTA. Aramayo was also presented with the EE Rising Star award. Evans was congratulated by Aramayo at the ceremony; she said she had been wearing one shoe and chewing gum and had not expected to win against the casting agents of Marty Supreme, starring Timothée Chalamet, and Sinners, which is associated with Michael B Jordan.
• I Swear was directed, written and produced by Kirk Jones. It follows John Davidson at age 25 after his appearance in an earlier documentary that introduced Tourette to a wider audience. The film was nominated in five BAFTA categories including leading actor for Aramayo, supporting actor for Peter Mullan, original screenplay and casting (which it won), and it was competing for outstanding British film.

Details of the outbursts and subsequent reactions

Examples of outbursts during the ceremony included an interruption heard during an introductory speech by the awards chair and another heard while the directors of Boong accepted the award for best children's and family film. The racial slur was audible when Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting the award for special visual effects, which was won by Avatar: Fire and Ash. One of the presenters later said they wished someone from the awards organisation had spoken to them afterward. Davidson said he was deeply mortified if anyone considered his involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning.

Aftermath, confusion and questions remaining

There remains confusion about how the racial slur remained in the recorded broadcast. Producers said they had not heard the word while editing the show for a delayed transmission two hours after the live event, with an explanation that some editing work was being done from a remote truck. A studio connected to Sinners raised concern during the ceremony and had been assured their request to remove the slur would be passed on to the broadcaster. Putt, the awards chair, and the chief executive issued statements acknowledging the harm caused, taking responsibility for the difficult situation and apologising unreservedly to those present who were affected.

Jonte Richardson: presence in the record

Jonte Richardson does not appear in the provided material; jonte richardson is not referenced in the coverage given for this article. That absence is noted here rather than being treated as an omission in the summary of the available facts.

Details in this article are drawn only from the supplied coverage. Some statements and sequences are described as presented in the material; where context was incomplete or cut off, the article notes that the detail is unclear in the provided context rather than adding unverified information.